(Jamaica Observer) Jamaica has moved closer to monitoring its territorial waters and fishing jurisdiction with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), popularly called drones.
The agriculture ministry, in a release on Thursday, said that having tested the protocols for the safe and efficient deployment of the drones, it will now work with the Ministry of National Security to identify and deploy drones with longer endurance in order to increase the country’s reach and law enforcement within the country’s maritime jurisdiction.
Agriculture Minister Derrick Kellier, speaking at Thursday’s closing ceremony for the drone pilot project at his ministry, said that with the completion of the last test flight at Pedro Cays on April 23, the way has been cleared for the deployment of the drones to better monitor Jamaica’s marine space and detect and deter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the island’s fishing territory.
The drone project, Kellier said, was launched in an effort to cauterize the long-standing problem of poachers in Jamaican waters.
“This illegal activity simply cannot be tolerated,” Minister Kellier said, while urging local fishers to be vigilant in protecting Jamaica’s territorial waters and not to engage in any transactions with foreign poachers.
He also reiterated that the deployment of drones was only one aspect of the ministry’s strategy to increase monitoring and management of the fishing industry and cited plans for stiffer fines for illegal fishing, as well as a new Fisheries Bill.
With funding and sponsorship from Rainforest Seafoods Limited, the Fisheries Management and Development Fund, and the Jamaica UAV, the drone pilot project was conducted by a task force, under the leadership of the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The task force involved stakeholders from the Ministry of National Security, Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, the Jamaica Defence Force, the Marine Police, Jamaica UAV, Fisheries Management and Development Fund and Rainforest Seafoods Limited.
